"This…"
Vivian looked conflicted, but before she could say anything more, Hel struck again with a sharp remark.
"Or do you wish to see the priests of your church once again treated as expendable pawns and abandoned?"
That sentence hit Vivian right in her soft spot. Yet even so, she still hesitated. After a long silence, she finally explained her concern.
"But… Gerhard's brother is a high priest in Mandrake's capital — the church's second-in-command there. That's the only reason Gerhard was granted the position of Heimsburg's priest."
"I see."
Hel nodded slightly but showed no sign of giving up on removing Gerhard.
Originally, she had no intention of meddling with the church. However, Gerhard's cowardly flight during the siege made her realize how dangerous an unstable element he was.
Even if she used a Loyalty Trait on him to turn him into a so-called "devoted follower," Hel still wouldn't trust him completely.
Because who could say what such a man would do when faced with danger?
He might not betray her directly — but he could still bring her plenty of trouble.
For example, if the enemy came knocking at the gates again, he might decide to "save them both" by surrendering together.
You couldn't call that betrayal, yet it would still ruin everything.
And Hel had no patience for that kind of loyalty.
Still, Gerhard's background made things complicated. A man with a powerful brother — a high priest and second only to the Archbishop — could influence church appointments, even in Heimsburg.
But not absolutely. After all, his brother wasn't the top man.
Maybe she'd need to send someone trustworthy to the capital soon. Perhaps she could recall Sebastian for that… but that could wait.
"Sister Vivian," Hel said finally, "let's leave this matter for now. Tell me, are you free at the moment?"
"If you have orders, my lady, I'll gladly follow them," Vivian replied earnestly.
She understood that during wartime she couldn't contribute much to the defense, so any other form of service was welcome.
"You've seen it yourself," Hel continued. "The people in the city are anxious. I want you to take the priests from your church and help calm the citizens."
"Understood, my lady," said Vivian with a nod. She then took her leave to carry out Hel's orders.
Hel watched her go, a faint smile curving her lips, her eyes thoughtful.
Letting Vivian represent the church to soothe public unrest had been a sudden inspiration.
If Lili and the others stopped distributing food so freely, there would surely be grumbling among the refugees. And when that happened, it would help to have an influential organization step in to pacify them.
And what organization held more sway across the continent — in both heart and spirit — than the Church? None.
As for whether this would allow the Church to win over the people, Hel didn't care.
Because she'd already seen Vivian's loyalty stats — 20 points to Hel, and only 20 to the Church.
That was why Hel wanted to make Vivian the head of the Heimsburg Church. Having an ally within the clergy could only benefit her in the future.
Vivian was, in short, the perfect candidate. This task would serve as a test — to see whether she needed to reinforce her loyalty further.
Regardless of the outcome, Hel's broader plan wouldn't change.
Even if Vivian used the opportunity to help the Church gain public favor, it didn't matter.
In a world ruled by the extraordinary, it wasn't "he who wins hearts wins the world," but rather — "he whose fist is strongest."
"Well then… what choice will you make, Vivian?"
Hel retracted her gaze and sent a blood bat flying toward the goblin ruins, carrying a letter for Sebastian. With that done, she returned to Heim Castle.
For now, Heimsburg was safe — there was no fighting — but Hel still didn't know the overall result of the beastmen invasion.
Even if her own city had survived, it would be grim news if the Mandrake Kingdom had fallen everywhere else. She needed information — and fast.
Fortunately, she'd already set her intelligence network in motion ten days ago. Now, all she needed was the final piece.
That night, Sebastian returned in a rush — and with him came Niv.
The moment Niv saw Hel, she threw herself into her arms, rubbing against her affectionately like a small, spoiled puppy.
"Master, I missed you so much!"
"Alright, alright, Niv. It's only been a little over a month," Hel said with a soft smile, ruffling Niv's hair.
It took her quite some effort to pry the girl off her.
"Okay, let's get to business."
Hel stood and led Niv to where Sebastian was waiting. Ignoring his teasing "auntie grin," she gestured, and from the darkness behind her, a thick swarm of small black shapes came fluttering forward.
As they drew near, Sebastian's eyes widened. They were insects — countless insects of every kind.
"Alright, Sebastian," Hel said lightly, "time for real work."
Sebastian, knowing Hel's personality all too well, felt a cold shiver run down his spine. A bad premonition loomed over him like a shadow.
"Y-you mean to…"
"That's right," Hel said with a mischievous smile. "Use Soul Search on them. These little ones have gathered some very valuable military intelligence."
"This…" Sebastian wanted to protest — but what could he say? It wasn't like he could refuse his young master.
All he could do was sigh, roll up his sleeves, and start casting Soul Search on the insects one by one.
Just like the flies used earlier to spread the plague, these bugs were under Hel's control — thanks to the "Witch of Insects and Fish" trait she possessed.
Now that she had learned to project her spiritual power, she could command these creatures even without understanding their language.
But this ability had a fatal flaw: insects were… well, not very smart.
They could obey Hel's orders instinctively, but they couldn't report what they'd seen or heard in any meaningful way.
That was why she'd called Sebastian back — she didn't particularly enjoy using Soul Search, especially not on bugs.
Time passed slowly. While Sebastian worked tirelessly, Hel and Niv spent the time teasing and chatting with each other.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Sebastian finished with the last insect. He let out a deep, weary sigh.
"My lady… according to these bugs…" he said hesitantly, "the beastmen's main army… seems to have retreated."